The court decision in May clearing the way for same-sex marriages in California created some pride — and hope — at Denver’s PrideFest on Saturday.

“I think people are thrilled about the ruling,” said Matt Kailey, a managing editor for OutFront magazine, the Colorado gay publication that co-sponsored the city’s 34th annual PrideFest, at Civic Center.

Festivities for the two-day event kicked off Saturday, offering food and family entertainment.

“It means that our relationships are being recognized somewhere and that minds are being changed,” Kailey said.

“The ruling in California will assuage a lot of fear,” said Debra Pollock, the development and communications director for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center — and organizer of PrideFest.

“It’s just a matter of time. We will start to see this happen state by state,” Pollock said.

Some, however, weren’t as optimistic about a domino effect, particularly for Colorado.

“It’s not going to happen here anytime soon,” said Leon Frizzell of Aurora, who was taking pictures of his partner of 11 years, Roger Lujan, and their 13-month-old son, Matthew, on the Civic Center lawn.

California does not have as much influence on the rest of the country as people may think, said Lujan, who is originally from California.

“Most states, and this includes Colorado, have anticipated this,” said Chris Edelson, the state legislative director for the Human Rights Campaign in Washington, D.C.

“I think most states very consciously prepared for this situation by putting laws on the books,” Edelson said.

Along with Colorado, 25 other states have constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage.

Denver residents Kirsten Fering and her partner of 10 years, Karie Yoshioka, have a daughter.

They don’t expect Colorado to overturn the amendment anytime soon, but they hope equal opportunities for gay or lesbian couples with families come about.

“Call it what you want, we just want the same benefits as all other couples,” said Yoshioka.

Although the California ruling has stirred excitement and pride in Denver and other gay communities, it faces a challenge. Organizations that opposed the ruling, including the National Organization for Marriage, gathered over 1 million signatures in order to place the issue on the state’s November ballot.

Brian Brown, the executive director of the National Organization for Marriage, said he is confident the ruling will be overturned and, therefore, send a message to other states.